Lost Spirit: The Search for the Spirit Fox
by Himemiya Inari
Summary: Kurama's been missing for a while, and Yusuke starts to freak out a bit. Yusuke, Hiei, and Kuwabara find him, and to their surprise, Kurama doesn't have a clue who they are! Rated T for mild language and some violence. COMPLETE!
1. Who Are You?

Nightmare: Okay. This is my first real fanfic, so... yeah.

Yusuke: Because that says... so much.

Nightmare: You be quiet!

Yusuke: Hmph. Just read and review so Happy-Go-Lucky here shuts up.

Nightmare: Happy-Go-Lucky? Oh that's cute. Idiot...

Yusuke: I heard that.

* * *

"Has anyone seen Kurama?" Yusuke wondered, "I haven't seen him all day."

Hiei was sitting at the windowsill. He didn't look at him, but simply responded, "Hn."

Yusuke frowned, "You're a real help, Hiei. Really." He crossed his arms and grunted.

Kuwabara yelled in dismay and threw a game controller across the room as a big "GAME OVER" appeared on the television screen. He collected himself and suggested, "Did you check the school?"

Yusuke raised an eyebrow at him. "On a Saturday?" He shook his head. "No point in checking if you know he's not going to be there."

"Well, you know Kurama. He probably went to go study… or something…" Kuwabara defended. "Why so interested, anyway?"

"Because I haven't seen him all day! He's a demon thief. Who knows what kind of trouble that foxboy could get into?" Yusuke snapped.

Kuwabara flipped through a gaming magazine, "Okay, okay! Geez, never would have thought of you as the protective type."

He was right. Yusuke was acting strange…

Hiei shifted. "Kurama's fine. Plus, he's resourceful. You needn't worry about the fox."

Yusuke and Kuwabara both looked at him quizzically. "Something still doesn't feel right," said Yusuke. "I'm gonna go look for him." With that, Yusuke stepped out the door.

"Hey wait, Urameshi! I'm coming with! C'mon! Wait up! Don't leave me here with Captain Happy!" Kuwabara shouted as he scrambled to his feet. At that moment, Hiei had stepped in front of him. "Hiei? What are you doing?"

"I'm coming with you."

"Why?" Kuwabara asked.

"Hn," was all he said and he began walking in the direction of Meiou High. Within just a few seconds, he was gone, leaving Yusuke and Kuwabara behind.

Yusuke frowned, "Something's eating at him… Something's wrong."

Kuwabara nodded, "Let's go." The both of them began following, running in Hiei's direction towards the school.

Yusuke and Kuwabara finally caught sight of Hiei, who seemed to have found his target. The two boys ran towards Hiei and to Kurama, who was sitting on a bench reading a few yards ahead. The three of them caught up to each other and walked towards Kurama.

"There you are! We've been kinda worried about you. Have you been here this whole time?" said Yusuke.

Kurama looked up from his book at Yusuke with a confused expression. "I-I'm sorry… Have we met?"

Yusuke looked back at him with an equally confused expression, "Uh, yeah. Duh, it's me, Yusuke!"

"Sorry, I don't think I know you…"

Yusuke glanced at Kuwabara, who simply shrugged and shook his head. "C'mon, Kurama. Stop it. It's not funny."

"Kurama? I'm sorry, but I believe you've mistaken me for someone else… My name is Minamino—"

"Shuichi. Yeah. I know. Hiei? Can I talk to you for a minute?" Yusuke grabbed the koorime by his scarf and dragged him off to the side. "Hiei, what the Hell is going on?" he whispered.

"Get your hands off me, Detective."

Yusuke glared at him. There was a moment of silence between them, and then Yusuke released him. "What's going on?"

Hiei brushed himself off and grunted. "I'm not sensing any _yoki_ from him…"

Yusuke blinked, "What're you getting at?"

"Kurama's a demon, right?" said Hiei. Yusuke nodded. "Then it would only be normal for him to emit some demonic energy. I'm not picking up anything. No demon energy, not even any spirit energy."

Yusuke was getting frustrated, "Okay, quiz-monkey, what's the deal, then!"

"That's not Kurama."

Yusuke was slightly taken aback by this. "W-what?"

* * *

Nightmare: There we go! End of chapter one! WOO HOO! So what's up with Kurama? Some freaky case of yoki-removing amnesia perhaps? You'll have to wait for chapter two to find out! AHAHAHA!

Yusuke: You dork.

Nightmare: You're so mean to me!


	2. Missing Fox!

Nightmare: WOO! We made it to Chapter 2! All right!

Hiei: You're WAY too happy.

Nightmare: And you're like... a suicidal munchkin!

Hiei: Hn! I am not suicidal! Have I ever tried to kill myself?

Nightmare: Okay, homicidal. Happy?

Hiei: Hn.

Nightmare: Do you ever say anything else?

Hiei: Hn.

Nightmare: URGH! Read and review...

* * *

Kuwabara, now confused out of his mind, joined Hiei and Yusuke. Yusuke was still baffled at Hiei's previous statement. "What do you mean 'that's not Kurama'" Yusuke said almost mockingly.

Hiei was becoming very annoyed with Yusuke's density. "I mean that the demon spirit within that boy is no longer there!" Hiei barked.

Shuichi turned his head to the three boys, possibly more confused than Kuwabara. He began walking towards them and started to speak, "I'm sorry if I've caused some sort of trouble, but—"

"This doesn't concern you!" Yusuke and Hiei said in unison, and then continued their squabbling, seemingly unaware that their predicament had a lot to do with their former friend. A defeated expression crossed Shuichi's face and he simply walked away slump-shouldered.

Kuwabara watched Shuichi leave, then turned back to the other two, "Did… I miss something?"

Yusuke let out an exasperated sigh, "You missed everything… as usual."

"Hey! I can't help it if you guys don't let me in on anything!" Kuwabara huffed, "It's not my fault you're—OW!" Kuwabara was cut off by a swift crack in the head with an oar.

Botan hopped nimbly off of her oar, "Oh, I'm sorry, Kazuma."

"Geez! Who taught you how to drive?" Kuwabara shouted as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Technically, it's flying." Botan corrected him.

"Whatever! Either way, you suck at it!"

Botan blatantly ignored the rude comment and turned to Yusuke, then to Hiei, who had completely stopped paying attention altogether. "Yusuke, I just got word from Koenma. He saw the whole thing and wants you to track down the real Kurama."

Hiei brushed the sole of his black shoe against the ground and looked up at Botan with a fiery crimson glare. "And how do you propose we do that? Tell me, I'm _dying_ to know," he said coldly.

Botan felt a shiver go up her spine. Hiei's glare could do that to even the toughest warriors, so it's effect on an impressionable ferry girl was frighteningly eerie. "W-well, you could use Yusuke's Demon Compass, or your Jagan eye. Whichever is easier for you."

Hiei turned his back, "Hn."

Kuwabara finished whining over his bruised head and finally spoke, "So, how are we supposed to find a spirit? I mean… aren't they like… invisible?"

Hiei smacked his forehead in annoyance, "I can't believe you! You… you baka! You've forgotten your own special ability!" He shook his head and began to walk away.

Botan reached in his direction, "Wait! Hiei! Don't you want me to tell you how to… Oh…" Before anyone realized it, the koorime had randomly disappeared in a huff for the second time that day.

Yusuke punched Kuwabara in the arm. Kuwabara grunted and looked at Yusuke with an expression that clearly said 'What'd I do?'. "You moron."

"What!" Kuwabara was obviously convinced he hadn't done anything, and perhaps he hadn't…

"You know Hiei hates morons. We're gonna need all the help we can get to find Kurama, and if he decides to go solo, we're screwed," Yusuke pointed out.

Kuwabara crossed his arms and spat, "Oh, and that's _my_ fault?"

Yusuke paused for a moment in a thoughtful stance, then said quickly, "Yeah."

Kuwabara growled. He was about to retaliate, but he decided it was best not to argue with Yusuke, possibly the only half-intelligent move he'd made all day. After a few moments of silence Kuwabara decided to try and break the ice, "So, what's your plan of action, Captain?" he said, placating, as if trying to get back on Yusuke's hard-to-get-to good side.

Yusuke scratched his chin, "We'll start the search tomorrow, and come up with our plan of action tonight."

"What about Hiei?" Kuwabara wondered.

Yusuke shook his head, "I doubt he'll be back. If anything, he'll try and do this on his own. We're better off creating a plan that doesn't include him."

"Well, it seems that you have everything under control. Let me know if you need any help," Botan said, summoning her oar and flying off into the sky. Yusuke and Kuwabara looked at each other and smiled slightly, a grin signifying that both of them… had forgotten the blue-haired, over-excited ferry girl had still been there. They laughed to themselves, and then continued their brainstorming.

Kuwabara looked in the direction that Shuichi, formerly-known-as Kurama had walked, "And Shuichi?"

"Useless. He's no good to us now. He's a human now, and nothing more."

Kuwabara nodded and the both of them walked towards Yusuke's house to further contemplate the battle plan. Kurama was out there… somewhere…

* * *

Okay. End of chapter 2! So, Kurama's spirit is missing. But... where is it? I suppose that defeats the purpose of the term "missing", but all that aside, he needs to be found. He's nearly been killed before, it could definitely happen again. Will the Spirit Detectives find him? Will Hiei join the hunt? Will I ever stop asking myself pointless questions? Find out in chapter 3! WAHAHAHA! 


	3. Target Acquired?

Nightmare: Rock on! Chapter 3 and going strong!

Kuwabara: Why are you so freaking excited?

Nightmare: Oh, you'll see... MWHAHAHA...

Kuwabara: What's that supposed to mean?

Nightmare: Read and review, please!

Kuwabara: Wait, Nightmare!

Nightmare: La la la la la...

Kuwabara: Awww... crap...

* * *

It was getting late. The city had been engulfed in darkness, and only one light in the entire neighborhood was on. Yusuke and Kuwabara sat, discussing their problem of the missing Kurama. Hiei was still nowhere to be found, and Yusuke's mother, Atsuko had gone out on one of her drinking rampages, most likely not to return until later the next day.

Yusuke laid a badly drawn map of the city on the floor between them. He traced his finger along one of the roads that ended and went into a thick forest and tapped it. Kuwabara didn't seem to understand.

"Okay… Woods. What's so important about the woods?" Kuwabara ventured.

"That," Yusuke said, drawing an imaginary circle around the wooded area with his index finger, "is where I first met up with Kurama, Hiei, and Gouki. If I found three demons there at once, including Kurama, we just might find Kurama there again."

"What makes you so sure?"

"I'm not… But it's worth a shot."

"You still got that Demon Compass doohickey?"

Yusuke reached into his pocket and pulled out an object that resembled a wristwatch, "Right here. If Kurama's anywhere near us, we'll know." He tossed the compass into the air, and then caught it and slipped it back into his pocket, "We'll start our search there."

"All right, Urameshi," Kuwabara yawned, "It's all you on this one…" With that, he curled up in his sleeping bag on the floor and began to drift off into a peaceful slumber.

Morning. Yusuke had been awake for an hour or so before a snoring, messy-haired Kuwabara awoke as well. Kuwabara sat up and stretched, "G'morning, Urameshi…" he said through a yawn, "Time to go fox hunting yet?"

Yusuke nodded, and then hopped up onto his feet. He grabbed a white T-shirt and a pair of blue jeans and walked into the bathroom to change and get ready to go. Kuwabara rubbed his eyes and yawned again before standing up and changing into his blue school uniform, which seemed to be his favorite fashion statement. Yusuke came back and stood in the doorway. He jerked his head, motioning for the still-groggy Kuwabara to follow him.

The two of them walked toward their destination, both looking for any signs of Kurama, and any trace of Hiei. Neither came into sight, until they finally came to the woods and Yusuke's Demon Compass began to go off. They glanced at the compass, then at each other.

"Nice call, Urameshi," Kuwabara said as they both dashed into the woods, "But do you think it's him?"

"We'll figure that part out when we get there. Come on, move!" Yusuke ran ahead, which compelled Kuwabara to run even faster to catch up. They came to a clearing, and in the center of it was a gigantic black beast.

Kuwabara inadvertently took a few steps back, "W-what the Hell is that thing?" he stuttered.

"I don't know, but I doubt it's real friendly…" Yusuke responded. At that moment, as if on cue, the beast let out a hair-raising roar, huge strings of green drool dripping from its massive jaws as it slowly stepped toward the two boys. It started to get dark.

"Hey, w-why's it getting' dark all of the sudden?" Kuwabara said shakily.

"It must be some freaky technique of his… Just run!" Yusuke said through his teeth as he darted to the side.

"How do you know it's a he?"

"Kuwabara, it really doesn't matter, just MOVE!" Yusuke ran behind the beast and posed for his attack, "Spirit Gun!" Yusuke shouted as he fired a huge blue blast from his finger at the beast. The creature let out a horrible shriek and whirled around to face Yusuke. It picked Yusuke up in its huge claws and flung him into Kuwabara, who was in mid-dash. The two boys made contact and bounced across the ground.

Kuwabara rolled Yusuke off of him and helped him up. The creature's massive fist nearly drove them into the ground, but it narrowly missed. The blow did, however, throw them off their guard. The beast's next strike would not be able to be avoided. The creature raised its mighty fist and prepared for another attack, but in mid-strike, its arm was severed in a quick flash.

A small, dark figure stood before them as the enormous demon howled in pain. The figure shook the black-red blood from the sword he held and he turned to face the two boys.

Yusuke blinked, "H-Hiei?"

"Hn," was the only response he got.

Yusuke smirked, and he and Kuwabara collected themselves, brushing themselves off and trying to adjust to the abnormal darkness. The three boys stood close, ready to brace for an attack, and ready to try their own attacks. The demon was still crying in pain over its lost limb.

"Geez, what a crybaby," Kuwabara mocked. At this, the demon growled and lashed out again. Kuwabara was taken by surprise and was hit, the blow sending him into a tree and knocking him unconscious.

"Awww, great work, genius!" Yusuke shouted, "You idiot, you shouldn't have insulted it!" he scolded.

"Watch it, Detective!" Hiei said, pushing Yusuke out of the way of the demon's mammoth foot. He jumped up and slashed at the demon's face as many times as he could before it got so angry that it actually headbutted the koorime to the ground. Hiei scrambled to his feet and slashed at the beast's ankles. He seemed to be putting up a good fight, but the strange darkness was impeding both Hiei and Yusuke's attempts at attack or defense. The demon kicked the tiny koorime and he slid across the ground. Yusuke posed to fire his Spirit Gun again, but the demon hit him with a tail that no one had even realized existed before.

The demon moved in for a finishing move, but stopped short. Its large, black eyes widened, and it fell apart in many different pieces. Someone, or something leaped over it. In their last seconds of consciousness, Yusuke and Hiei could make out the image of a light-clad figure, and then… all light was gone…

* * *

Thank you soooo much for hanging with me for this long. Like I said before, this is my first real fanfic and I was a little nervous, but thanks to all of you, I'm still going! That's right, if I didn't get your nice reviews, I probably would have stopped by now. KURAMA PLUSHIES FOR EVERYONE WHO REVIEWS! Anyway, all of our leftover heroes have passed out. So then who's the one who made the big evil demon thingy into chop suey, huh? Wait and find out in Chapter 4! 


	4. Koenma's Words of Wisdom, Hiei's Attack

Nightmare: All right, here we go with Chapter 4! You know, as I was writing, I kept getting reviews from people which only compelled me to write more.

Yusuke: Aww, isn't that sweet...

Nightmare: Oh, be quiet. Anyway, one of your reviews asked about Koenma's... Well, I guess you could call it his Stalking Powers. Just read and review and it will all come into the light! Thanks much!

* * *

The darkness finally began to fade. _How long has it been?_ Yusuke sat up slowly, rubbing his head and wincing at the pain in his ribs. He looked around a bit. _Damn… Still in the woods? How did we… who…?_ Kuwabara lay a few feet to the side, still unconscious. Hiei, for the umpteenth time, had gone and disappeared. He stood up, and sort of hobbled toward Kuwabara, trying not to collapse. He knelt down again and placed his hand on his shoulder and shook him gently, "Hey, Kuwabara…" When Kuwabara didn't react, he grabbed him by the collar and began slapping his face repeatedly.

"Kuwabara!" Yusuke yelled, "Wake… up… you… dumb ass!" With one final strike, Kuwabara's eyes finally opened.

"All right… ALL RIGHT!" Kuwabara shouted as he shoved Yusuke away. "What's your problem? I was just… Hey… Where's Shorty?"

"Hiei? No idea. He ditched us again." Yusuke said as he stood up and brushed himself off. Kuwabara stood as well. They began to walk around, surveying the area. The ground was soaked with the dark blood of the demon, and its scattered remains littered the terrain.

Kuwabara's eyes widened at the sight of the dead demon… or what was left of it. "Who or _what_ did this? It sure wasn't us… was it?"

Yusuke shook his head, "I don't know. It was too dark to see. But check this out," Yusuke said, holding up his Demon Compass.

Kuwabara examined it, "Broken?" He poked it a few times.

Yusuke nodded. "Whatever killed that thing must've been a demon, otherwise my compass wouldn't have flipped out the way it did."

Kuwabara took the information in for a moment, "Do you think it was…?"

"There's only one way to find out." Yusuke cut him off, "Follow me." He began to walk back toward his house and Kuwabara followed. They walked through the door and looked at the clock on their way to Yusuke's room. They'd only been gone a few hours, and _still_ no Atsuko.

"I've been wondering something, Urameshi," Kuwabara said as he sat down in a chair.

Yusuke took a seat on the edge of his bed, "Yeah?"

"How come binky-boy can't track Kurama on his own?"

"Why don't you ask him yourself?" Yusuke said as he tossed him a Communication Mirror. Kuwabara caught it and opened it up. Botan's image appeared in the mirror.

"Whoa. Hi, Botan!" Kuwabara said cheerfully.

"Hello, Kuwabara. Can I help you with something?"

Kuwabara hesitated, and Yusuke came over and knelt next to him. "Botan," Yusuke said, "Patch us in to Koenma."

Botan's face fell, "Oh. Um. Sorry, Yusuke. Koenma-sama's a little busy… The only way you'd be able to speak with him would be if you actually came to Reikai, which is—"

"Fine," Yusuke interrupted.

"Fine?" Botan said, a bit confused, "You actually want to…"

"Get us to Spirit World, then. We have to talk to Koenma, _now_."

"All right, then… I'll create a portal for you. Just wait a moment." With that, the signal was lost and soon after, a blue-green portal appeared in the middle of Yusuke's floor. Yusuke walked over to it and motioned for Kuwabara to follow, and then they both jumped into it.

Yusuke and Kuwabara stepped out of the portal and found themselves standing in King Yama's palace. A blue ogre, Koenma's right-hand ogre, greeted them. He grinned at the two boys and led them to Koenma's office. He opened the door and found Koenma sitting at his desk between two monstrous piles of paperwork. By the taxed look on his face, one could judge that he had been doing quite a bit of stamping.

"Koenma-sama…" Ogre said.

"Ogre, I told you not to bother me when I'm WORKING!" said a very flustered Koenma.

Ogre dropped down and touched his forehead to the floor, "I-I'm sorry, Koenma, sir, but," he gulped, "there are some visitors here to see you…" Ogre shivered violently as he spoke.

Koenma looked up, "Oh," he said, setting his stamps aside, "show them in, then." Yusuke and Kuwabara walked into the room and sat down in front of him. "Yusuke? Kuwabara? Why are you… what are you doing here? This better be good! I'm a very busy man."

"You mean baby," Yusuke kidded.

"Watch yourself, Yusuke or I'll have you decommissioned." Yusuke backed off. Koenma shifted in his seat, "So tell me, why did you come all the way to Spirit World?"

"We were wondering if there was a way you could help us track Kurama down." Yusuke explained.

Koenma frowned, "Sorry, Yusuke, but there's nothing I can do. Try as I might, neither I nor anyone else here is able to track him. We don't know why. The only explanation I could come up with is that he's cloaking his _ki_. Unfortunately for you, I don't think he wants to be found."

"But why?" Kuwabara wanted to know.

"I don't know," Koenma said, rubbing his forehead, "but if his true self is out and about in the Human Realm, he must be found. He's an A class demon, you know."

Both boys nodded. "Wait a second," Yusuke began, "After we met up with the Kurama-less Shuichi, Botan showed up and said you saw the whole thing. If you saw that, why couldn't you see where Kurama went or what killed that demon?"

Koenma shook his head, "I'm Prince of the Spirit World, not God. It's not like I'm some great overseer. I just happened to be paying attention to your actions at the moment. Don't give me too much credit, even though I _am_ perfect." Koenma smiled to himself at his last comment.

Yusuke and Kuwabara weren't amused, but Koenma didn't seem to care. "Thanks for your time, Koenma." Yusuke said as he exited with Kuwabara, passing Ogre, who was still on the floor. They both passed back through the portal and wound up back in Yusuke's room. The portal disappeared once they were both through.

Yusuke flopped back on his bed and stared at the ceiling, "Well, he was real helpful."

"Tell me about it," Kuwabara agreed as he sat down in the chair again.

"Where the Hell could Kurama be? He shouldn't be this hard to find!" Yusuke grumbled, "You should head home, Kuwabara. We'll search more tomorrow."

Kuwabara nodded and stood, "You think we'll find him, Urameshi?"

"With a busted compass and a missing fire demon, it's gonna be pretty damn difficult, but he's bound to show up somewhere."

Kuwabara was about to leave when there was a tapping on Yusuke's window. The two exchanged glances and Yusuke opened the window. Literally in the blink of an eye, Hiei came through the window.

"Hiei!" both boys said in unison. "Hiei, what are you doing?" Yusuke asked. Hiei didn't respond, and then Yusuke realized that he was cut and bleeding in several places. Hiei looked like he was on the verge of collapsing. He held a white bandage on his bleeding arm. Yusuke realized that Hiei's Jagan eye was exposed and the bandage wasn't a bandage, but his bandana. Yusuke moved toward him and tried to support him so he wouldn't fall, but Hiei pushed him away. "Hiei, what's wrong? What happened? Talk to me!"

Hiei dropped to his knees and was breathing heavily, "I think… I think I found him…"

* * *

Okay, what happened to Hiei? Something beat up everyone's favorite gothic munchkin! Come Chapter 5, we'll find Hiei's attacker, and perhaps much, much more. 


	5. Demon Hunter Ryoushi

Chapter 5! YAY! Thanks for sticking with me! Read and review, please!

* * *

"You found Kurama?" Yusuke said with a surprised tone, "Hiei, who did this to you?" 

Hiei didn't answer. He scrambled to his feet and limped to the window. Once there, he put his head out the window and coughed up some blood. Yusuke ran to his aid, but was once again refused. Hiei shoved him away and turned toward him. He tried to speak, but only winced and dropped to the floor again. Shakily, he managed to sit up. A trickle of blood ran down from the corner of his mouth, and he spoke. "I… I don't need your help… Detective…"

Kuwabara and Yusuke knelt beside him. "Hiei, tell us what happened," Yusuke almost whispered. He turned to Kuwabara, "Get the first-aid kit," he said quietly, hoping Hiei wouldn't hear him, as he knew he'd protest. Kuwabara stood up and did as he was told.

Hiei wiped the blood from his mouth with his torn sleeve and took a deep breath. "He's back."

Yusuke looked at him quizzically, "Who's back?" he asked, "Kurama?"

Hiei simply shook his head, "Yusuke, do you know why Kurama escaped to the Ningenkai?" This was the first time in a while Hiei had referred to the Spirit Detective by his name.

"Well, I…" Yusuke paused to think, "I sort of know the story. Why? Does it have something to do with what happened to you?"

Hiei closed his eyes and smirked, chuckling a little. Yusuke was only becoming more and more confused. Kuwabara came in with a first-aid kit and tried to tend to Hiei's wounds. Hiei only pushed him away and began tending to himself. "The reason Kurama came to the Human Realm," Hiei began, "was to escape from a Demon Hunter that pursued him."

"Yeah? So what does that have to do with you?" Yusuke asked.

"Everything," Hiei responded simply, opening his eyes again, "We thought that the hunter was gone. After Kurama escaped, we never heard from him again, so, we left him for dead…" Hiei bashed the floor with his fist and snarled. "What fools we were!"

Kuwabara tried to pick up on the conversation, "So what are you saying? That this so-called Demon Hunter is back?"

"Hn," was Kuwabara's only response. After Hiei finished properly bandaging his wounds, he reached within his cloak and found another one of his bandanas and tied it around his head, concealing the Jagan.

"Hey, how many of those things do you have?" Kuwabara asked curiously.

"I've no time for meaningless questions," Hiei stated coldly.

"Fine. I'll go home, then," said Kuwabara, "We'll get him tomorrow."

"A wise choice," said Hiei, "Tonight we rest."

"Especially you, Hiei. You're a mess," said Yusuke. He climbed onto his bed and sat, "Are you staying here, or—"

"No," Hiei said quickly, "but I'll meet you in the forest clearing where the _oni_ was."

"We better not run into any more of those demons," Yusuke said, shifting uncomfortably. No one seemed to notice that Kuwabara had gone.

"That was just a lower-class shadow beast. It's not what we have to watch out for," Hiei said as he stood up weakly.

A worried look crossed Yusuke's face, "You sure you're in good enough shape?"

"I'm fine, Detective. Don't worry about me. Worry about regaining your own strength. You'll need it." With that, the koorime made his way toward the window that he came through.

Yusuke gave him a strange look, "We have a door, you know…"

"Hn," was all Hiei said, and he was gone.

Morning came again and Yusuke awoke. He stretched and got out of bed. He yawned as he went and got ready to leave the house. He got dressed in a white shirt and a short, blue jacket. He slipped on his blue jeans and his shoes and gelled his hair back. As he walked out the door, he noticed that his mother had finally returned and was dead asleep, curled up in a sleeping bag in front of the television. Yusuke shook his head and walked outside. Kuwabara was there waiting for him, dressed in a white trench-coat sort of thing, the outfit he wore during the last half of the Dark Tournament.

Yusuke nodded to him and began walking. Kuwabara followed and they walked toward the woods again. When they finally made it there, they saw Hiei leaning up against a tree.

Squish 

Kuwabara yelped and began shaking his foot violently.

"What's the matter with you?" Yusuke asked.

"I stepped in demon guts!" Kuwabara wailed as he dragged his foot on the grass.

Yusuke made a face, "Lovely…" He looked around and noticed that there was still some demon remains scattered around. "Yuck…"

Hiei looked up and abandoned his tree to greet the two other Spirit Detectives. He removed his bandana, exposing the Jagan, and the third eye began to glow. "Come on," he said as he began walking deeper into the forest.

"Where are you leading us, Shorty?" Kuwabara asked.

"Where do you think, genius?" Yusuke answered for him, "He's leading us to Kurama. Either that, or this 'Demon Hunter'."

"Very perceptive, Yusuke." Hiei's voice dripped with sarcasm.

"So which one _are_ we going after?" Kuwabara wondered.

"Whichever one comes first," said Hiei, an oddly light tone in his voice.

The three of them walked for a few hours. Hiei, as usual stayed generally silent, Yusuke only spoke a few times, and Kuwabara wouldn't shut up. Hiei was about to scold him when a figure appeared in the distance.

"Is that Kurama? Yeah! Let's go!" Kuwabara said as he began to run.

"No!" Hiei shouted as he tripped him.

Kuwabara let out surprised yell and fell flat on his face. He scrambled to his feet and grabbed Hiei by his collar, "What the Hell is the matter with you? Why'd you trip me, you little—"

"That isn't Kurama," Hiei cut him off, "Don't do anything you might regret."

Kuwabara let him go and glanced back at the mysterious figure. The three boys grouped together and stood still.

"Welcome," said a voice, "I've been expecting you." The figure stepped slowly towards the three.

Yusuke raised his fist slightly, "Stay here, I'll take him."

Hiei threw his arm out to bar Yusuke's path, "Stop. We don't know what he's capable of yet."

Yusuke lowered his fist, "Is that the…?" Hiei nodded. The figure had come very close, close enough for them to get a decent look at it. He was a tall, young-looking man with a thin frame. There was a long, light scar on his right eye that ran down to the middle of his cheek. His hair was fairly short and a little scruffy. It was a deep teal color and he had long bangs that fell on either side of his face. He had soft, silver-gray eyes that easily held one's attention. His attire was fairly simple; a black tunic with black light leather armor covering his chest and shoulders. He wore a long, black sash around his waist and loose-fitting black pants. His boots were of medium length, black, coming to a point at the top, slightly higher than the back. He wore fingerless gloves that were basically the same style as his boots.

He stopped a few yards in front of the Spirit Detectives. The three boys braced themselves, just in case he attacked.

"Who are you?" Yusuke asked. The man gave a twisted smile.

"Me? Oh, I'm no one important," he looked at Hiei, "And how are you doing, koorime? I hope I didn't bloody you up too badly," he said. Hiei grunted.

"Enough chit-chat," Yusuke barked, "Tell me your name!"

The man took another step forward, "My name? Ryoushi, at your service," he said, bowing. He seemed almost innocent.

Yusuke took a step forward, and this time, Hiei didn't hold him back. "Ryoushi, huh? Never heard of ya."

_Be careful, Detective…_ Hiei's voice popped up in Yusuke's head.

Yusuke ignored Hiei's message, "So, we have your name now, but we still don't know who the heck you are," Yusuke said, an arrogant grin creasing his face.

"Who am I?" Ryoushi said with a laugh, "I'm your worst nightmare." He pressed on his gloves above the wrists and long iron claws sprang from them.

"What?" Yusuke gasped. His smile faded. Ryoushi raised one of his fists and charged toward Yusuke and the others. Kuwabara and Hiei dashed on opposite sides and Yusuke narrowly missed the attack.

Hiei unsheathed his katana and closed in on Ryoushi. He leaped up into the air and brought his sword down hard on the Demon Hunter. To his surprise, Ryoushi had easily parried the move with his iron claws. Hiei's eyes widened. _He's fast!_ Ryoushi brought his other claw up, aiming for Hiei's midsection. Hiei moved just quickly enough for the claws to tear through his clothes, barely missing his flesh.

Hiei threw off his black cloak, revealing scars and a few reopened wounds from their last encounter. He raised his blade in front of him, a half defensive and half offensive stance.

"I'm coming, Shorty!" Kuwabara shouted as he charged toward Hiei and Ryoushi.

Hiei turned sharply to look at him, "No," he growled, "This is no time for heroics. You'll die," he stated simply and turned again to his opponent, who seemed to be contemplating another attack.

Kuwabara ignored Hiei's warning and continued his charge. As he got closer to Ryoushi, he let out a battle cry, then shouted, "Spirit… Sword!" An orange energy blade appeared in his hands and he raised it above his head. Ryoushi smiled, seemingly amused with the technique. Kuwabara thrust his Spirit Sword forward in an attempt to slash at Ryoushi's stomach.

"Hm," Ryoushi grunted and stepped lightly to the side and slashed at Kuwabara's chest. The blades of his clawed fist bit deep into Kuwabara's flesh and blood flew from the wound. Kuwabara ran off to the side, clutching his bloodied shirt.

"Kuwabara!" Yusuke yelled. He turned to Ryoushi, who was flicking his friend's blood off his claws in a most sinister fashion.

"I'm all right, Urameshi. I can still fight!" Kuwabara said as he tried to stand.

"Don't be ridiculous," Hiei said coldly, "You're obviously in no shape to go on in this fight. Stay away, heal, and try not to do anything idiotic."

Ryoushi chuckled, "If he's that much of a nuisance, I'll just kill him." He started walking toward Kuwabara, claws raised. Kuwabara stared at him. He tried to get on his feet, but had become too weak to move. He quivered.

"Oh no you don't," Yusuke steamed, "Not if I have anything to say about it!" He charged toward Ryoushi.

Ryoushi ignored him, "Oh please, I'm doing you a favor."

Yusuke spat in Ryoushi's direction, "You bastard! I'll send you straight to Hell!" Soon, Yusuke's foot made contact with Ryoushi's head. Yusuke landed neatly on his feet and assumed a fighting stance. Ryoushi had stopped moving.

The Demon Hunter turned his head toward Yusuke, "You'll regret that," he said as he turned around.

A devilish grin crossed Yusuke's face and he beckoned Ryoushi forth with a hand gesture. Ryoushi growled and struck at Yusuke with his claws. One strike, and then another, both were easily dodged. Yusuke punched Ryoushi in the face and then a few times in his gut. After the assault, Ryoushi held his face in his hand and simply coughed a few times. "You're strong. I'll give you that. But," Ryoushi said softly, "you're still no match for me."

Hiei had been watching silently. He darted behind Ryoushi and slashed his back. Ryoushi shouted in pain as Hiei's blade cut through the leather armor and bit in between his shoulder blades. "Why you miserable little—"

"Now, Yusuke!" Hiei shouted, interrupting Ryoushi's insult.

Yusuke nodded and pointed his index finger at Ryoushi's chest. A light blue aura grew around his finger and he posed for his signature attack. Hiei dashed next to Yusuke so he wouldn't get hit. "Spirit Gun!" Yusuke fired.

"What's this?" said a shocked Ryoushi. He tried to dodge the blast, but was totally unprepared for it. The Spirit Gun nearly made a direct hit.

Yusuke and Hiei waited for a moment for the dust and smoke to clear. Ryoushi's silhouette started to come into sight. Everything cleared, and Ryoushi seemed to be greatly affected by the attack, but not enough.

"Damn," Yusuke said under his breath. Ryoushi looked up and began to walk toward them. His speed picked up a little, and soon after he had come to a run. Hiei and Yusuke braced for an attack, but then Ryoushi stopped a few feet in front of them. All three combatants simply stood for a few moments. Suddenly, Ryoushi began running super-humanly fast circles around them. "What?" Yusuke said and tried to keep up with him.

The two detectives stood back to back and waited for something to happen. After a little while, what seemed to be copies of Ryoushi appeared to be running circles around them, too. "_Claws of Infinite Suffering! Let me hear their dying screams!_" The voice echoed as if Ryoushi truly was more than one man.

Hiei could almost see through the attack with the Jagan eye, but couldn't figure out how to counter or even dodge. Yusuke didn't have the slightest idea what was going on. "Move, Detective!" Hiei tried to warn him. Both tried to move, but Ryoushi began slashing through them, over and over, spilling their blood like a thousand blades.

Ryoushi finished behind them and heard them both collapse. He turned around to see his victims for a moment, and then turned his back again, "Too bad. You put up such a good fight, too," he said and began to walk away.

"Not… yet…" Yusuke struggled to get up, but couldn't. Hiei was in the same condition, badly beaten, but alive. Ryoushi turned and grinned.

"Still alive? My, my, we _are_ strong!" Ryoushi chuckled, but then he stopped short, "I can fix that." He began walking toward them. Finishing the Spirit Detective and his fire demon friend would be easy. He was about to take them out for good, but something sharp bit into his arm. He winced and pulled it out. It was a razor-sharp leaf. He looked around and saw nothing. He shrugged it off and advanced again. "Now you die," he said quietly, raising his claw.

Before he could strike, something grabbed his wrist, "No, not while I'm here," said a calm, cool voice.

Ryoushi shook free and whirled around. His face went white at what he saw, "N-no," he stammered, "I… I killed you! You… you're dead!"

"You can start counting the minutes until you die," the figure said, "because Youko Kurama is very much alive."

* * *

The hunter that forced him to find refuge in the Human Realm has returned. Now Youko Kurama is taking revenge for himself and his fallen comrades. Next chapter, Legendary Bandit Youko Kurama versus Demon Hunter Ryoushi in an epic duel to the death! 


	6. Paid in Blood

Demon versus Demon Hunter. Kurama versus Ryoushi! Final round! DING! Read and review while I get popcorn and "Go Kurama" signs.

* * *

Ryoushi's eyes were wide with fear. He backed away slowly, "This… This is impossible… How did you escape?"

"That is no concern of yours," Kurama said quietly. He started to walk by Ryoushi to Yusuke and Hiei. Ryoushi put his arm in front of him to stop him. Kurama stood quietly.

"You know I can't let you live," Ryoushi said coldly.

"Be that as it may, the Spirit Detectives have nothing to do with us. Let me tend to their wounds and get them safely out of the way and we can continue this fight alone." Kurama was determined.

Ryoushi hesitated for a moment, then lowered his arm and let the spirit fox pass. Kurama glared at him with his golden eyes and walked over to his fallen teammates.

He stood over them and Yusuke managed to turn his head to face him. "K-Kurama…" Yusuke whispered.

"You shouldn't have come for me," Kurama said, a half-scolding tone in his voice.

"I'm… sorry…" Yusuke lost consciousness. Kurama took some herbs from his sash. He put a few in Yusuke's mouth and crushed the others to spread across his wounds. He proceeded to do the same with Hiei, who was just barely awake. Hiei chewed the bitter-tasting healing herbs and then began to lose consciousness. Once he was out, Kurama dragged both of them to the sidelines next to an already unconscious Kuwabara. Kurama tended to Kuwabara's wounds as well.

Ryoushi was becoming impatient. He began sprinting toward Kurama with his claws raised. Kurama's fox ears picked up the sound of his footsteps and he braced himself. Ryoushi struck, but Kurama ducked and countered with a spinning kick, sending the Demon Hunter off his feet. Ryoushi fell to the earth, and then hopped back up, landing sloppily on his feet.

"Tell me, hunter," Kurama began, "why didn't you kill me a few moments ago? You could have ended my life in a single strike right then and there."

"That takes the fun out of it," Ryoushi hissed. He charged again, one strike after the other. Each attack was dodged effortlessly by the fox demon.

Kurama jumped into the air and a vine began to curl around his arm, "_Juryo yozan-ken_!" The vine came to a point over Kurama's fist and he came down on Ryoushi, aiming for his head. Instead of dodging, Ryoushi jumped toward Kurama and slashed at him. They landed opposite each other and stood for a moment.

Both attacks hit. Kurama's _Spectral Beheading Technique_ missed its original target, but did leave a deep gash in Ryoushi's shoulder. The hunter's claw sliced through Kurama's stomach, but not deep enough to immobilize him. Both fighters turned to face each other again and charged. Iron claw and spectral vine went back and forth, sometimes hitting, and sometimes not.

Kurama jumped back. The vine started to disappear. He reached into his long silver hair behind his fox ear and pulled a red rose from it.

"Not this again," Ryoushi whined.

Kurama extended his arm into the air, "Rose Whip!" The petals of the rose flew off and he brought his arm back down. The rose transformed into a thorn-covered whip. Again, he ran toward Ryoushi. When he came within a few feet of his opponent, Ryoushi moved quickly behind Kurama and crossed his claws in front of his throat. Kurama fell silent and still.

Ryoushi chuckled quietly, evilly, "So what now, Legendary Bandit Fox, Youko Kurama? Your death is near. Is this how you dreamed you'd die?"

"You shouldn't be worrying about my life," Kurama said coolly, "You should be worrying… about your own."

"Oh?" Ryoushi laughed, "I don't see a blade at _my_ throat. You're clever, but not _that_ clever. My eyes are keen on bluffs."

"Interesting, because I'm not bluffing."

Ryoushi growled, "Now you're just annoying me. There's no way out of this. Your life ends now." Ryoushi slashed and slit Kurama's throat… or at least that was the thought that was going through his head. "What?" Ryoushi gasped, "Can't… move!"

Kurama simply moved the Demon Hunter's clawed hands away, stepped forward, and turned around to face Ryoushi, "I've sown the Seed of the Death Plant in your flesh. I have but to will it, and it will bloom." His Rose Whip returned to its floral state and he put it back.

"You bastard…" Ryoushi growled. Kurama began to walk away. "You pathetic excuse for a _youkai_!"

Kurama stopped. He didn't turn around and simply uttered the word, "Die."

Ryoushi's eyes widened, and flowers erupted from his flesh, soiling the ground with his blood. The Demon Hunter dropped to his knees and fell to the ground. Kurama bowed his head and began walking again. He didn't get very far when he heard a voice close behind him, "Where are you going, spirit fox? We're not done yet."

Kurama's eyes were filled with disbelief. He whirled around and found Ryoushi standing there, bloody and covered in gashes. Kurama took a step back, "How did you… No one's ever… What _are_ you?"

Ryoushi's head was lowered and Kurama could see his shoulders shake with laughter, "My name is Ryoushi," he hissed as he slowly raised his head, "I am a demon hunter." The twisted, mauled form of Ryoushi ran toward Kurama. Kurama managed to punch him in the face a few times and land a kick, but the cadaverous Demon Hunter's odd movements were new and hard to follow. They were held in a small brawl for a while, then suddenly…

The gold eyes of the demon thief widened and he went still. He winced, and coughed up some blood. He looked down at his stomach. Ryoushi's claw had gone right through it. Ryoushi unsheathed his claw from the fox's flesh and Kurama held his stomach, taking a step back. Blood flowed from the wound over his hand. The other wounds all over his body burned. He closed his eyes and dropped to his knees, breathing heavily. He looked up at Ryoushi. His silver eyes were no longer soft. They were hard, a crazed look in them.

"So this is Youko Kurama, the Legendary Bandit whose name is known all around the Makai," Ryoushi spat on him, "You worthless dog!" he kicked Kurama's side. Kurama's body convulsed and he fell to the ground. "You disgust me. Tell me, Youko. Why do they fear you, hm? Why!" he kicked him again. Kurama couldn't answer; he only coughed up more blood. Kurama tried with everything he was to stand up, but could only manage to get up on one knee, supporting his weight with his other hand that wasn't covering the wound on the ground.

"You will die," Kurama struggled to speak, "Whether it is by my hand or not, you… will fall…"

"Shut up!" Ryoushi shouted, "I'll finish you right now!" He raised his fist and brought his claw down on Kurama, but Kurama grabbed his wrist. The spirit fox glared at him with narrowed eyes. He quickly pulled his rose out again and entangled Ryoushi in it. He tried to stand up. It took him a few tries, but he finally stood on shaking legs.

"It's your choice, Ryoushi. I can kill you now, or I can summon my Death Tree and see what it wants to do with you."

Ryoushi shook. For a long while he had though the true Kurama, the ruthless, murderous Kurama had gone. He was wrong… Very wrong.

"No answer? Fine then," Kurama seethed, "I'll decide!" A new strength awoke in Kurama. He turned on his heel, and jerked the Rose Whip forward. More of Ryoushi's blood was spilled as he fell apart in several pieces. Kurama could sense it. He wasn't coming back. Suddenly, Ryoushi's torn and mangled body flashed white and changed form. Kurama went to examine it, "What's this?" Kurama knelt down, wincing at the sharp pain in his stomach. He looked at the severed limbs

A very confused look crossed Kurama's bloodied and bruised face. He could see it, smell it, but couldn't understand it. "A demon?" Kurama struggled a bit to stand up and he held his stomach, "It doesn't make sense… Why would… he…" Kurama's vision started to go blurry. Soon it went completely dark. Kurama collapsed and fell unconscious.

* * *

All right, we have one dead demon hunter/demon... thing... three unconscious bishonen and one... well, we're not quite sure what to call Kuwabara yet. In any case, what'll happen when they wake up? What will Kurama decide to do? That is, what will he decide to do if he wakes up? All questions answered in chapter 7, finale. 


	7. The Final Decision

Hours passed. Long after the battle had ended, Kuwabara was the first to awaken. He blinked a few times and tried to stand up. He got on his feet and leaned against a tree for some support. He checked his wounds. "Whoa… That's weird," he said as he fingered the slash marks lightly. They were almost completely healed. Kuwabara looked to the side and noticed Yusuke and Hiei lying a few feet apart from each other. They weren't in as good condition as he was. He stumbled forward and began to search for any signs of what went on.

He saw something else further ahead, so he began to run toward it. He'd come very close when he slipped and fell. "Ah!" Kuwabara grunted as he hit the ground. He looked down and realized that for the second time in a matter of days, he had come too close for comfort to the slimy remains of a demon. Kuwabara let out a distressed shout and jumped around trying to get away from the demon's severed limbs. He backed away, a disgusted look on his face. He tripped again, "Damn it!" he rolled over to see what it was, hoping it wasn't more of the dismembered oni. To his surprise, he ended up looking into the unconscious face of Kurama. "Kurama!" Kuwabara shook him to try and wake him up. Kurama didn't move. Kuwabara couldn't tell if he was breathing or not, and feared that the youkai wasn't going to wake up.

Kuwabara was about to give up when Kurama's fingers moved slightly. His eyes slowly slid open. He lay there for a moment, blinking and casting his eyes about. Struggling a little, he slowly sat up. He looked at Kuwabara but said nothing. He simply gathered various herbs from his sash. He smiled slightly, as he was almost certain he wouldn't have enough healing herbs for himself. He ate some of them and put others on his wounds, yet he looked much better than he did when he fell unconscious. Being a demon, he healed quickly.

"You all right, foxboy?" Kuwabara asked. Kurama didn't answer him, but stood up and made his way toward the demon remains. Kuwabara followed him. Kurama knelt and examined the demon closer, trying to figure out anything about it. Suddenly, Kurama stood up quickly and looked around.

"Kuwabara," Kurama said quietly, not looking at him, "wake the others."

Kuwabara blinked a few times, "But what's that going to do? Besides, they're practically de—"

"Kuwabara, you obviously do not understand the situation. So do me a favor, wake the others, or it could be your life," Kurama cut him off.

Kuwabara said nothing and did as he was told, Kurama's last comment lingering, leaving him to use his imagination as to what the demon fox meant by it. He walked over to Yusuke and Hiei and tried to wake them. "Maybe he's dead." He sat down next to Yusuke and poked his forehead repeatedly. He continued to do so until he heard Yusuke start to mumble. Kuwabara waited for a moment for Yusuke to speak, but he seemed to just fall back asleep. An evil grin crossed Kuwabara's face, "Time to return the favor, Urameshi!" Kuwabara grabbed the Spirit Detective by the collar and began slapping him, screaming at him until Yusuke's eyes shot open and he leapt up to punch him square in the jaw.

Kuwabara hit the ground with a thud, "Glad to see… that you're awake… Urameshi…"

Yusuke stood, stumbled a bit, and steadied himself. He checked his wounds, which, thanks to Kurama, had started to heal. He glanced down at Kuwabara, who had been reduced to a heap on the ground. He prodded Kuwabara lightly with his foot, "Hey, Kuwabara, where's Kurama?" Kuwabara simply pointed in Kurama's direction. "I see," Yusuke said as he looked to Kurama, "Well, he's alive. That's good. I'm gonna go see how he's doing. You stay here and wake Hiei up."

"What?" Kuwabara said, grabbing Yusuke's ankle, "No way! I choose life! I woke you up and you punched me! He'll probably sick his big black dragon… thing on me! You wake him up!" Kuwabara stood up.

Yusuke sighed and rolled his eyes, "Fine. You wake Hiei up and _I'll_ go check on Kurama. Deal?"

"Uh…" Kuwabara paused, "Deal." Kuwabara grinned.

"Good boy," Yusuke said as he began walking in Kurama's direction. _Heh heh… Idiot_, he thought to himself.

Kuwabara's face fell. He ran the conversation through again in his head. He clenched his fists and grumbled. "Damn you, Urameshi!" he shouted. Yusuke simply waved him off with his hand and continued walking. Kuwabara walked over to Hiei and poked his shoulder, trying very hard not to annoy the sleeping koorime into tearing him apart. "H-Hiei?" Kuwabara whispered, "Hiei!"

One of Hiei's crimson eyes shot open and glared at Kuwabara. He opened both eyes and sat up. He looked down at the ground for a moment.

"Uh, Hiei?"

Hiei glared at Kuwabara again and stood.

"Careful, Hiei. You might hurt your—"

"Move," Hiei said coldly, pushing him aside.

"-self…" Kuwabara finished weakly and followed him. The two walked over to Yusuke and Kurama, who seemed to be discussing something about the demon.

"So the Demon Hunter was really a demon?" Yusuke asked.

Kurama shook his head, "No, I believe Ryoushi was deeper than that."

"How so?" Yusuke was only becoming more confused.

"The Demonic Binding," Hiei said quietly, picking up on the conversation rather quickly.

"The Demonic what?" Yusuke and Kuwabara asked in unison.

"Demonic Binding. It's a technique that binds an oni or a lower class demon to oneself by using one's own name, but I've never seen it done. I've only read scrolls."

"So what does it do?" Yusuke wondered.

"A person can bind themselves to a demon by offering a piece of their very being, their soul. In time, the demon takes on all the physical attributes and mannerisms of the one it is bound to."

"And you think that's what Ryoushi did?" Yusuke was trying very hard to take all of the information in.

Kurama nodded, "But look," he said as he pointed to the scattered body parts, "these remains are that of a demon."

"Yeah, I was sort of wondering what the whole 'Demon Binding' thing had to do with this," said Kuwabara, "So what are you trying to get at?"

"I used several fatal techniques on Ryoushi, including Seed of the Death Plant, yet he lived through all of them," Kurama explained, "The only way he could have done that is if he switched places with his demon bondling. That way, they would have shared the damage."

"Then how come none of us noticed him switch?" Kuwabara asked.

"Because one, _you_ were unconscious most of the time, and two, a demon bondling takes on the physical and mental attributes of the one it is bound to. You'd know that if you were paying attention, but as always, you weren't," Hiei stated plainly. Kuwabara simply grumbled as a response.

"I'm confused. That's a demon lying in pieces, not Ryoushi," Yusuke said, rubbing his forehead.

"The scrolls said that if the bondling dies, it returns to its original form," Kurama began, "So that is not Ryoushi, but his bondling."

"That still doesn't explain how he switched with the demon," Kuwabara said gruffly.

Hiei licked at an open wound on his wrist before speaking, "He was obviously trained in the arts of ninjutsu," he said as he tied the wound in a bandage that was wrapped around the length of his arm, "His finishing claw technique gave him away. No human can move that fast unless they've been trained to do so with proper teaching. I'd say he used the ninja art of substitution with his own bondling."

"So you're saying that psychopath is still out there somewhere?" Kuwabara gasped.

"Yes, but I doubt he'll be back any time soon," said Kurama, "He's badly wounded and his bondling is dead."

Everyone was silent for a few moments, then Yusuke spoke, "So what now, Kurama? Are you coming back?"

Kurama took a moment to answer, "No."

"No? What do you mean, no?" Kuwabara huffed.

"I've returned to my true form. I'm no longer welcome in the Ningenkai. Reikai forces will be after me."

"Couldn't you go back to being a human again?" Kuwabara asked.

"This is the form I've been trying to attain my entire time in the Human World. Now that I've attained it, there's nothing more for me here. In my sleep, my demon spirit, my true form built up enough energy to finally release itself. I'd be a fool to go back on that now."

"But we need you here!" Yusuke shouted.

"I'm sorry, Yusuke, but you don't understand!"

"No, _you_ don't understand! We've gone through too much for you to ditch us now," Yusuke snapped.

Kurama was becoming frustrated, but no one would have known. His face showed almost no emotion, a façade one would expect from Hiei. He looked down at his feet, "I'm _sorry_, but there's nothing I can do."

"There is. You're just too selfish to figure it out," Yusuke said coldly, and turned around, "It was nice knowin' you, Kurama." With that, he began to walk away. Kuwabara followed. Hiei, however, stayed where he was.

Hiei waited until the other Detectives had gone out of earshot. "There _is_ something you can do. Your subconscious demon opened a portal of sorts. There's no reason for it to be closed. It's been created, so as long as you don't let that ki fade, it will stay."

"But the Reikai—"

"If worse comes to worse, escape to the Makai. But for now, if you don't return I'll never hear the end of it from those two idiots. And the fact that 'Shuichi' has no memory left of anything having to do with what you've done while you possessed him only makes him more annoying. Attain your human form again. Should you want or need to, you can transform into Youko." Hiei turned on his heel and started to walk away, but he soon stopped, "One last thing,"

Kurama blinked, "Oh?"

"Don't get caught."

"I'm fairly good at that," Kurama chuckled.

"Don't you think you were a little hard on Kurama?" Kuwabara asked as he walked behind Yusuke.

Yusuke scratched the back of his head, "Eh… Maybe I was…"

At that moment, the red-haired Shuichi walked by. "Do you think we'll ever see him again?" Kuwabara asked.

"I dunno. We might. We might not." Yusuke replied. They continued walking.

Shuichi turned around and watched them leave.

_"You will… Sooner than you think… What's lost has been found. I know my purpose."_


End file.
